Paul R. Brown
Reviews By Author
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Polish Wings # 36 TS-11 IskraPublished:
Part of MMP’s Polish Wings series, this book focuses on the TS-11 Iskra, a Polish designed primary jet trainer. Designed in the late 1950’s in response to the need to train pilots for the Polish Air Force, the Iskra went on to serve for over 50 years with the Polish Air Force. While the design looks vaguely similar to that of the Temco TT-1 Pinto, unlike the Pinto, the Iskra was a very successful aircraft with more than 400 being built of its various variants. As an indigenous design, the Iskra’s primary customer was the Polish Air Force, however, India also purchased and operated 50 of the aircraft for jet pilot training. The book has a good discussion of the development of the Iskra, including the different variants of the aircraft, which initially were strictly unarmed… more |
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Junkers Ju 87D/G Gunner’s Seat and MG 81Z Machine GunPublished:
This set is intended to be a quick upgrade to the gunner compartment of Special Hobby’s Ju 87D or Academy’s Ju 87G Stuka.The parts are 3D printed and as expected the detail is exquisite. As there are only three parts to the set, for most people this will be an easy upgrade. Unfortunately, my experience went the other way, but to be honest, with one exception, that was all my fault. When I received the review sample, I discovered that somewhere in transit, both of the gun barrels of the MG81 gun (part PP1) had broken off and in fact one of them had disappeared completely. While I am sure the barrel was nicely detailed, as it was so small and fine, it was impossible for me to see any detail, so I elected to replace the missing barrel with stretched sprue using the remaining barrel… more |
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Red Dragon "Flankers" – China's Prolific "Flanker" FamilyPublished:
This is the author’s seventh book for Harpia Publications on Chinese military aviation and complements several of his earlier volumes by providing a more in-depth look at the Su-27/J-11 “Flanker” aircraft in Chinese service, including China’s acquisition, development, and operational use of the aircraft. Since the first satellite images of the prototype Su-27 were released, the aircraft has evolved into one of the most capable and versatile fourth-generation aircraft. Over the years there have multiple variants developed by the Russians – Su-27, Su-30, Su-33, Su-34, and Su-35. It is often overlooked that the Chinese aviation industry has also developed several variants of its own, some paralleling those of Russia, but others being specifically tailored to China’s needs. The… more |
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Petlyakov Pe-8 Landing Gear (Zvezda)Published:
This set is designed to provide replacement parts for Zvezda’s Pe-8 bomber kit. The package includes two complete sets of main gear struts and actuators and a new single-piece casting of the tailwheel fork assembly. As with most of SAC’s landing gear sets, the metal main gear struts and actuator parts are intended to be one-for-one replacements for the kit parts. The parts are well cast, however, in my sample, one of the strut assemblies that hold the main gear wheels was misaligned (see photo), fortunately, as the white metal is easily manipulated, I was able to straighten it up with no issues. SAC elected to cast the tailwheel fork as a single piece rather than as two parts as Zvezda did. I think this was a great decision as it eliminates the joint where the two kit parts… more |
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B-24 Liberator in Detail and ScalePublished:
Detail & Scale’s original volume on the B-24 Liberator and its variants was published in 2000. Since the first volume was published, more information regarding the B-24 and its variants has become available and more photographs of the B-24 in service have surfaced. In addition, the authors were granted access to the interiors of the B-24D preserved at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and the PB4Y-2 Privateer preserved at the National Museum of Naval Aviation, to take reference photographs. The book is primarily a visual reference book, so there is just a brief overview of the B-24 and its many users around the word. The history section includes a nice table explaining the two letter suffixes used to designate where a particular aircraft was built. As explained… more |
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Wooden CorralPublished:
While this set is labeled “Wooden Corral” it is actually a wooden fence set (it is more of a privacy type of fence as the sections are all closed up, rather than open like a corral fence would be - need to be able to see the animals in a corral). The set consists of 12 resin parts for a wooden fence. It includes 3 long fence sections: 6 posts, two types of gates – a single narrow gate and a double wide gate. The fences and gate sections have a very nice wood grain effect cast in, while the gates also have hinges and latches. I am a bit confused by the texture of the posts as rather than continuing the grain texture shown on the fence sections, the posts have a pebbled texture. I don’t know if this is to suggest they are concrete posts or just a different type of wood. I assumed the… more |
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F-16C/D Wheels (Block 40 and Later)Published:
This set supplies drop-in replacement wheels for 1/72 F-16 C/D Block 40 and later kits. As you would expect from Brengun, the wheels are very finely cast featuring realistic tread pattern, raised lettering and other markings on the sidewalls and sharply detailed brake pads and wheel hubs. I compared them to the wheels of a Tamiya F-16CJ kit and as shown in the photos, the detail on the Brengun parts is a vast improvement over the kit wheels. Each tire also has a flat spot to simulate the weight of the aircraft on the tires, however, it is not overdone so that the tires look flat. I painted the wheels Tamiya NATO Black and the rims/brake pads Tamiya Flat White, with a black wash to bring out the details. I used a white colored pencil to highlight lettering and markings… more |
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Helmet and Dress Sewing (Flight Suit) MarkingsPublished:
Recently HAD Models released several sets of decals specifically for US Navy F-14 aircrew. I don’t know if the translation program messed up when the title was translated into English, but these sets actually provide decals for the helmet markings and the flight suit patches for the arms and chest for Tomcat aircrews. It appears that these sets were originally created for 1/32 scale pilots and RIOs (Radar Intercept Officers – backseaters in the F-14) as the instructions state that the decals were scaled for Aerobonus 1/32 scale ejection seats and flight crew models, and then scaled down to 1/48 and 1/72 scale. This set includes decals for two helmets for each of VF-1 Wolfpack, VF-84 Jolly Rodgers, and VF-111 Sundowners. As the VF-84 helmets are the gloss yellow ones seen in the… more |
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Mk. 77 Napalm BombsPublished:
This Mk. 77 is an unguided incendiary weapon used by the U S military. The Mk. 77 uses a fuel gel mixture that is similar to napalm, with similar effects when dropped. The Mk. 77 was used in Operation Desert Storm to destroy oil/fuel filled trenches and obstacles created by the Iraqis. The set includes parts for two complete cannisters, each comprised of a tapered nose section, a barrel shaped center section and a tapered tail section. While the nose and tail sections are similar, they are not identical. The set also includes three different types of fuses for each cannister, and the instructions illustrate some of the fuse combinations available. Construction is very straight forward. I used a razor saw to cut each section from the pour block, taking care to ensure… more |
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Mi-24D Internal Fuel TankPublished:
This is an interesting set from Brengun as it allows the modeler to replicate the large internal fuel tank sometimes carried by the Mi-24 Hind. The set has 6 parts, consisting of the tank, what appears to be a spigot or filler connection, and 4 parts that make up the cradle the tank sits on. The parts are all crisply cast. However, I did discover a few pinholes on the underside of the tank and the ends of the cradles that needed to be filled and smoothed out when I put on the first coat of primer. As with Brengun’s other resin accessory kits, the first step is to remove the parts from the pour stubs. A sharp razor saw makes quick work of this. I next assembled the cradle with superglue and then set it aside to dry and harden. Before the superglue had set completely, I test fit… more |